Blasphemy! I want an 1/3 octave EQ


Here’s why... first my gear:  Goldenear refs, Klipsch 15 sub, M&K 12”V125, Roon Nucleus.  Oppo 103, Thorens TD165, Schiit Yggdrasil, Carver 275 amp, Prima Luna EVO preamp.  

I want to accomplish to primary objectives.  I want be able to tweak the speakers for my ears, not my wife or friends or employer, yep just for me...The acoustics in my room are pretty spot on, acousti mats in the right places and first reflections tamed.  All in all I think it’s a killer system.  So here’s the problem (notice here’s).  I’m 67 and was in sound reinforcement business in my youth.  Part owner of BP sound.    We were part of Kiss’s first tour.  We did stage and arena sound.   Tour with several bands for approx 5 years.  So I do have some hearing loss primary higher frequencies.  I want to eq the higher frequencies but I also want a balance control.  Neither amp or pre allow that.  So plz don’t try to talk me out of this, but please help with product selection.  I plan to place the EQ between amp and preamp...Thanks in advance for helping!!   And of course I don’t want to introduce noise or distortion, so Lpad solutions are out...
128x128fastninja12
The only good (analog) equaliser I've experienced is from FM Acoustics, they call it a "harmonic lineariser", and empirically, it does not seem to degrade the original signal. However, it only offers a few corner frequencies and is very expensive.

For 1/3octave, may I suggest you consider a software-based solution (as hinted above)? Since you do have a digital signal anyway, you can tune it before it enters the DAC.
A somewhat fussy solution, but probably the most efficient and best sounding -- as these things go.Good luck

I’m 72, just had my ears cleaned and tested. My ability to hear highs is a normal gradual downward slope. Even when young, great hearing: any speaker in any space, even with a lot of room treatment will not be ’flat’.

Way back when I bought a multi-band eq, (I cannot remember what it was). A good friend who is an AV consultant came over. We adjusted, tested, measured, moved the speakers bit by bit, marked up pre-printed graphs.

Oh Boy! After a while, I came to the conclusion: beware ’perfection’. It just wasn’t as involving as it had been. Out, gave it to a friend.

IOW, you may find a simple treble boost does it well enough. My speakers were designed with L Pads ’Brilliance’ and ’Presence’. I was considering removing them, temp bypassed, and found, they are needed, speakers were designed for them to be in the center of their range, and vary attenuation up/dn from there. It will be ’Brilliance to the Rescue’ as I continue to age.

That Rockville is surprisingly inexpensive, at $150. you could get one, try it, see how you like the results, then if it is working, keep researching for something you might prefer.

I am a big fan of remote balance, because, the better your system images, you find occasional tracks that benefit a lot from a small amount of balance adjustment. Using an equalizer for balance is great for most tracks, but ’fixed’, not flexible for this or that track.

Another idea, also only $150. is to try my favorite: Chase Remote Line Controller, RLC-1. I would never live without one. It gives you, from your listening position: remote volume, balance, treble, bass, and mute which can be handy.

You may find, the remote treble is enough, and, when sharing your music with others, put things back to ’normal’, then juice it up again for yourself.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Chase-Remote-Line-Controller-RLC-1/254708363331?hash=item3b4dcd3043:g:huIAA...
@fastninja12 since you're using Roon, you can implement 1/3 octave EQ in Roon itself. For your other sources, something relatively inexpensive like the miniDSP SHD will let you perform 1/3 octave EQ for anything, if you place it before your pre-amp for example.

Both Roon and the miniDSP SHD will also let you do a lot more than 1/3 octave EQ as they support full PEQ. And they will do it in the digital domain.